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Patrick Mahomes Had the Saddest Walk Back to Locker Room After Loss to Chargers

Kristen Wong

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered an apparent leg injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to the Chargers.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered an apparent leg injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to the Chargers. / Screengrab on Twitter/ @HaroldRKuntz3
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The Chiefs' 2025 season ended in the cruelest way possible on Sunday after Kansas City lost to the Chargers and got knocked out of playoff contention in the process.

For the first time in Patrick Mahomes's nine-year career, the Chiefs will not be going to the playoffs. And by some ruthless twist of fate, Mahomes wasn't there to see the final moments of Sunday's game.

In the final minutes of the fourth quarter, with the Chiefs down 16-13 and inching into field goal territory, Mahomes suffered a painful-looking leg injury as he got tackled from behind by a Chargers defender. His left leg bent at an awkward angle, and Mahomes immediately grabbed at his knee as he fell to the ground.

Mahomes swiftly left the game with the help of trainers and was replaced by backup Gardner Minshew. Not long after, Minshew threw an interception on just his fifth pass attempt—and just like that, the Chiefs went out with a whimper.

To make things even sadder, Mahomes was later seen painfully limping to the locker room with a towel over his head while being supported by trainers:

And here's his trusty target Travis Kelce following him after the game:

In a gotta-have-it game for Kansas City, the Chargers held the Chiefs scoreless in the second half and dealt the longtime playoff perennials their latest one-score loss. Mahomes will cap off his regrettable '25 season with 22 touchdowns against 11 interceptions, nine of which came in their last seven contests.

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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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